John and I have plotted out our plan to make a jump from the corporate world to being full-time entrepreneurs. The course ahead is fraught with many, MANY unkonwns. So why would anyone willingly invite that uncertainty into their lives? Why not remain where the paycheck is a pretty sure thing, health care costs are partially covered and there is some security about the future?

For us, the certainty of a corporate job was becoming a lot less clear.

​We both worked in oil and gas, and that market is in a downturn. But that’s not really what drove us to seriously look at our situation and reevaluate the plan. We were frustrated with not having much control over daytime hours. Being parents to young ones, flexibility is a MUST. Flexibility. Work-life balance. These buzz words are tossed around in corporate HR conference rooms these days, but I haven’t seen real strides in finding balance among the old institutions of the corporate landscape. It’s still a dog eat dog world in corporate America, and those who show up, follow the company line and perform IN THE OFFICE are still the key performers.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not complaining.

I have been on the other side of the desk as a manager of a team of over 50 individuals all with their own stories and personal commitments. I COMPLETELY understand that it’s virtually impossible to have a system and policy in place that satisfies everyone’s needs. I am not asking for these more traditional corporations to start allowing telecommuting, to provide special concessions to individual employees, or to spend so much effort on non-core business operations, such as work-life balance initiatives, that they get away from their core competencies.

John and I are taking our situation into our own hands and hoping to make something positive out of a situation that just didn’t work for us.

What does it take to make this leap with two young kids? Half a milli saved up? No. All your ducks in a row? Definitely not.

We are learning as we go, but in our first year of the plan, here’s what we’ve discovered.

1. As with everything in life, communication is not only necessary, it’s MONUMENTAL.We are running in a lot of different directions. We were already doing that with two kids, but now that we have two MORE “kids” in the picture (two business operations), we are reacting to what is most urgent some days. That means communication doesn’t always happen in a sensible, thorough or positive way. Some times in fact, it’s downright rude or worse, nonexistent.When starting down the entrepreneurial path, it is so important to have this quick chat and say hey, it’s going to be a slog for a while. Let’s agree to do our best to talk. Let’s even carve out scheduled times to check-in with one another. Let’s also agree to have a bit of thick skin with each other because there WILL be times when we yell across the house to please for the love of all things on God’s green Earth get that effin’ trash out that has been piling up since last week before the trash truck drives away! We are going to have our terse words, and then we are going to move on. {handshake} That brings me to point #2.2. Forgiveness.Forgiveness from your partner. Forgiveness from your family. Forgiveness from your friends. Those in your inner circle are going to see a shift in your availability, a noticeable change in priorities, and hear the words “no” and “help” more from you more often than they ever did before. In fact, they may look at this new venture as a bad relationship. “You’ve changed.” “You aren’t the same carefree vacation / happy hour / hang-out buddy you once were.” And you reply to them with “It’s not you, it’s me. Really.”For those that aren’t entrepreneurs, in particular, entrepreneurs that have to survive off their budding business, it’s hard to fully understand the constraints on your time and focus. You have your business, your kids and your own needs demanding that you pay attention to MEEEEEE.Explain the situation (even if you’ve already explained before), and then ask for some forgiveness and understanding. These are your people. They are your support network. You need them, and they need you. Frustration may build, and YOU also need to be ready to forgive and understand their point of view as well. And maybe it is time to step away from the computer, the phone call or your phone for a moment.

3. Networking (ugh) turned into genuine requests for knowledge and help…and ultimately some lifelong friendships.We hated the term and action of networking. Just ugh and ugh. Forced conversations. Small talk. Standing around clinging to a drink in a conference room when you’d much rather be in your pajama pants catching up on The Walking Dead at home. We have lived through those kind of networking happy hours. They didn’t add much value to our lives.

But now…we have questions and want very much to connect with others who are on our same path or have blazed a trail before us. We want to talk to our investors and customers and genuinely want to get their feedback on what’s happening in their worlds. At the end of the day, just about every business is a person-to-person business. We rely on our relationships and our networks to carry us across the finish line.

The Dalai Lama said look at everyone that comes into your life as someone sent to you with an important lesson or message. Stop, listen and learn. It doesn’t matter if they are 6 months old or 100 years old.

4. Setting our own schedules means fine tuning our self-discipline.I mean, this is a no-brainer. It is completely obvious to everyone that an entrepreneur will have to have another level of self-discipline to manage his/her work day schedule, his/her work goals, and his/her downtime. It takes constant fine-tuning to strike the right balance between work, family and downtime. And when the ball is in your court to set your own schedule, it can easily swing out of balance.

I’m not going to say a lot more here other than we are working on this. Constantly. And revisiting it. And working on it some more. CONSTANTLY.

5. It is a WILD ride!It is exhilarating. It is freeing. It can be SO much fun. The wins are the ultimate highs – you created something, you put it out there for others to judge, and you came home a winner. You are on top of the world whether you have $50 in the bank of $500,000.

And some days you come home flat. A strike-out. Maybe even a big fat “L” in the loss column.

Keep the big picture in mind. Cling to your long term vision. If you keep going, it will materialize. Some days it comes in incremental steps and some days it is a giant leap.

Bonus thought. There are plenty of naysayers out there. There are plenty of people who sit on the sidelines and judge. Sometimes those people are the ones that are closest to you, and you love them very much. But DO NOT let them get into your head. Protect your dream and your vision. You only have this one life.

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“I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” ― Michael Jordan

We are entrepreneurial admirals, controlling a whole fleet of ships. Everyday we try to turn this or that ship around and set it on the right course!

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HTX Mom

6/29/2017 08:59:42 pm

Real talk. Fo sure.

Reply

Adriane

6/29/2017 01:49:40 pm

Well said! I think being able to just go with the flow is key. Once you run a business you never quite know what surprises good or bad might be in store for you that day, but at least at the end of the day you get to decide what the best course of action is and own the outcome, you control your own destiny! Can't wait to hear more about the journey as it progresses.

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HTX Mom

6/29/2017 09:03:04 pm

Absolutely, girl. Owning the outcome is a blessing most days. But some nights it does keep us awake!